Genoa International Poetry Festival 2026: B2B merchandising for poetry publishers, poets, literary foundations, independent bookstores, cultural press, institutional sponsors

B2B merchandising for the Genoa International Poetry Festival 2026

Dates

Late-spring literary showcase on the Italian calendar, scheduled between May and June. The official calendar, edition theme and full venue list of the circuit are published on the festival website before the opening. The usual window falls between the second half of May and the end of June, with an opening that may run for up to four weeks for the main public readings.

Venues

Genoa city circuit, with Palazzo Ducale as the historic main venue, Piazza de Ferrari as the symbolic opening space, the Parco di Villa Imperiale as the open-air reading venue, the Teatro Carlo Felice for closing shows, the University of Genoa — Department of Italian Studies, Translation and Language Sciences, the independent bookstores in the centre (Libreria Bozzi, Libreria Feltrinelli, Libreria Mondadori, Cuccume inLibro, Libri e Caffè), the Diocesan Museum, the Chiostro di Santa Maria di Castello.

Circuit

Palazzo Ducale — Sala del Maggior Consiglio, Sala dei Chierici, Cortile Maggiore, Piazza de Ferrari, Parco di Villa Imperiale, Teatro Carlo Felice, Aula Magna of the University of Genoa, independent bookstores in the historic centre, collateral section venues and translation meeting rooms.

Organiser

Associazione Festival Internazionale di Poesia, with the collaboration of the Comune di Genova, Regione Liguria, Ministry of Culture, University of Genoa, Italian publishing industry associations (AIE, Associazione Librai Italiani, Sindacatale Italiano Traduttori, PEN Club Italia) and international partner literary festivals (Festivaletteratura Mantova, Festival della Poesia di Parma, Poetry International Rotterdam, Struga Poetry Evenings, Berlin Poetry Festival, Festival de México en el Centro).

The Genoa International Poetry Festival — biennial poetry showcase held in Genoa since 1995 — runs a calendar of competitive and thematic readings, a programme of poetic translation meetings, literary criticism panels, focused sections on the poetry of a language or a geographic area, a section dedicated to emerging poets under 35, a specific section for the poetry of Genoa and Liguria, and a specific attention to poetic translation, oral and performative poetry, visual poetry and to new digital poetry practices. The festival brings to town poets, translators, editorial series directors, literary magazine directors, foundation directors, literary agents, critics, columnists, publishers and independent bookstores that work on the Italian and European poetry axis.

For Italian and foreign poetry publishers releasing collections for the festival, poets presenting their collections at the competitive sections and public readings, literary foundations and awards running collateral sections, independent bookstores on the circuit hosting launches, editorial desks of cultural trade and consumer publications, critics’ desks, linguistic academies and university departments of Italian studies and literary translation, partner literary festivals, institutional sponsors (Comune di Genova, Regione Liguria, Fondazione Palazzo Ducale) and corporate sponsors, organisers of the collateral sections that work at the Genoa International Poetry Festival, Corp-Merch.IT coordinates from its Milan operational hub a tailor-made programme that opens with the reception of the publisher’s, poet’s, foundation’s or sponsor’s graphic files, continues with the adaptation for the various customisation techniques (water-based screen print on GOTS-certified organic cotton for public reading shoppers, hot foil stamping on FSC-certified paper for press kits and catalogue booklets, computerised embroidery for premium tote bags, laser engraving on walnut wood or Maniago steel for high-end welcome bags, certified fine-art print on Hahnemühle or Canson paper for limited-edition typographic prints destined to typographic art collectors) and ends with the physical pre-production sample, the AQL 2.5 quality control and the delivery to the independent bookstore, the poet’s hotel, the press desk, Palazzo Ducale or the Parco di Villa Imperiale. For editorial materials and poetry collections destined to poets and delegations we work with partners specialised in climate-controlled transport, so that catalogues, translation dossiers and poetry collections arrive in impeccable condition despite the spring Ligurian climate.

Invoicing for entities with an Italian VAT number goes out in EUR with 22% VAT through the Exchange System (SdI) of the Agenzia delle Entrate, delivery to the recipient code or certified email provided by the buyer. For editorial catalogues and art materials the reduced VAT rate of 10% applies, for books and art publications the 5%, according to current regulations. Reverse charge for intra-EU buyers registered in the VIES, split payment for public administration entities, recipient code or certified email for electronic invoice delivery. For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024, transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2464) we provide a sustainability sheet per order with Scope 3 CO₂e estimate under the GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain on internal routes and from the production supply chains stated, in line with ESRS E1, E5 and S2.

Festival calendar and Genoa logistics

The festival calendar falls between May and June and Genoa’s position, main Tyrrhenian port on the A7 and A10, conditions the last-mile logistics: direct deliveries to Palazzo Ducale, to the Parco di Villa Imperiale, to the Teatro Carlo Felice and to the circuit venues must be coordinated with the loading windows published by the festival production; a buffer at a partner hotel in the centre (Hotel Bristol Palace, Hotel Continental, Hotel Astoria, Hotel Palazzo Grillo, Hotel NH Genova Centro) or at our Milan hub reduces the risk of out-of-window delivery. Spring motorway traffic on the A7 Milan – Genoa, the A26 Genoa – Voltri – Gravellona Toce and the A12 Genoa – La Spezia conditions deliveries, and in coincidence with the Genoa International Boat Show (which takes place in September, but the port logistics calendar queues extend into spring) routes to the port of Genoa may register delays; it is often useful to pair venue delivery with a buffer at an affiliate hotel in the centre of Genoa, a proximity warehouse in the Piazza de Ferrari area and a second delivery to the independent bookstore or to Palazzo Ducale within the official set-up window, once the production has confirmed the recipient, the gate and the pass. For programmes that span multiple operational venues (Palazzo Ducale, Parco di Villa Imperiale, bookstores in the centre, Teatro Carlo Felice, Aula Magna of the University) we prepare separate packing lists for each destination with dedicated labelling of the on-site contact and a per-reading calendar.

Production and logistics towards Genoa and the circuit

Before starting production, graphics, quantities per recipient, packaging and named delivery point must be confirmed. Stand, hall, loading gate and on-site contact must be verified against the manual published by the festival production; Palazzo Ducale, the Parco di Villa Imperiale and the independent bookstores in Genoa’s historic centre are not addresses open to receiving parcels and any address must be tied to a confirmed loading window. The spring Ligurian climate conditions the delivery windows, and for this reason a buffer at a partner hotel in the centre or a proximity warehouse in the Piazza de Ferrari area often reduces the risk of out-of-window delivery, paired with venue delivery with a phone warning and bilingual packing list addressed to the recipient.

Typical print runs for a Genoa International Poetry Festival programme range from two hundred to three thousand pieces per code; editorial collections and translation dossiers start at fifty copies; shoppers for public readings reach two thousand pieces; welcome bags for invited poets sit at one hundred fifty pieces total split by delegation; coordinated drinkware for circuit venues moves between two hundred and five hundred pieces per venue. The optimal production window runs from eight to twelve weeks before opening, with a three-week pre-production window for graphics and a ten-day buffer for physical delivery. For programmes requiring certified fine-art typographic print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag or Canson Baryta Photographique, we add two weeks of drying and one week of climate-chamber conditioning before packaging.

For corporate clients who want a representative kit destined to the festival’s top sponsors and to invited prestigious poets, we produce a coordinated set in FSC-certified cardboard with hot foil stamping of the corporate brand and the edition theme: a GOTS-certified organic cotton shopper, an author’s typographic print in limited edition (three numbered and certified copies with the poet’s signature on the white margin), an editorial volume of the circuit’s book series, a Maniago-steel bottle engraved with the recipient’s name, a leather translation dossier folder with inserts in FSC-certified paper. The kit is delivered in a single FSC-certified two-wave cardboard box, book opening, closure ribbons and customised tag.

Payment options include bank transfer at 30 days from invoice date for clients with Italian VAT, 30% advance for the first order, improved conditions after the first 90 days of history. For corporate and institutional clients with a supply contract, a 12-month framework agreement with quarterly review is available. Corp-Merch.IT accepts main credit cards for orders below five thousand euro and coordinates with the client’s reference bank for invoice advances, Ri.Ba and SEPA Direct Debit for recurring clients. The supply contract includes specific confidentiality (NDA) clauses for sensitive commercial materials and a limitation on the client’s designs, graphics and colour combinations agreed for twelve months from delivery.

Frequently asked questions